agreement on cooperation on marine oil pollution preparedness

Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic

Appendix IV OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

May 15, 2013 Revision 1: January 28, 2014


Appendix IV: Operational Guidelines

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PREAMBLE The Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic (the “Agreement”) includes the following non-binding Operational Guidelines (the “Guidelines”). Nothing in these Guidelines is intended to create or modify any obligations of the Parties under the Agreement or international law. These Guidelines set out provisions to guide cooperation, coordination and mutual assistance for oil pollution preparedness and response in the Arctic. The Guidelines address procedures for notification and request for assistance, command and control in response operations, joint training and exercises, administrative issues and other recommended measures to facilitate an effective cooperative oil pollution incident response. It is recognized that some Parties may already have bilateral or multilateral contingency plans in place that will guide or address coordination and cooperation in response operations (see Table 1). The following Guidelines could be used in addition to such plans, or to aid in their development or revision. It is also recognized that any joint operations will be guided by the national response plans of the Parties to the extent possible.



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Table 1: Existing bilateral and multilateral agreements or arrangements include:

Bilateral and multilateral agreements/arrangements Signatories Canada-US Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/343409.pdf

USA, Canada

Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992 (Helsinki Convention) www.helcom.fi/groups/response/en_GB/main/

Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Russia (and other non-Arctic signatories)

Agreement Between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden about Cooperation concerning Pollution Control of the Sea after Contamination by Oil or other Harmful Substances www.copenhagenagreement.org/ www.ust.is/library/Skrar/COPA/engelsk.pdf

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden

Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and Government of the Kingdom of Norway concerning Cooperation on the Combatment of Oil Pollution in the Barents Sea, 1994. (no link available)

Russia, Norway

Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark for Cooperation Relating to the Marine Environment www.treaty-accord.gc.ca/text-texte.aspx?id=101887

Canada, Denmark

Agreement between the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Government of the Republic of Finland on Co-operation in Combating Pollution of the Baltic Sea in accidents involving oil and other harmful substances, 1989. www.finlex.fi/fi/sopimukset/sopsteksti/1990/19900054

Russia, Finland

Agreement between the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Government of the United States of America concerning Cooperation in Combating Pollution in the Bering and Chukchi Seas in emergency situations, 1989. www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/plans/uc/mou/Kp-US_USSR_89.pdf

USA, Russia

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/343409.pdf

http://www.helcom.fi/groups/response/en_GB/main/

http://www.copenhagenagreement.org/

http://www.ust.is/library/Skrar/COPA/engelsk.pdf

http://www.treaty-accord.gc.ca/text-texte.aspx?id=101887

http://www.finlex.fi/fi/sopimukset/sopsteksti/1990/19900054

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/plans/uc/mou/Kp-US_USSR_89.pdf

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/plans/uc/mou/Kp-US_USSR_89.pdf



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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Record of Revisions ................................................................................................................................................................ 5

1. Notification ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6

2. Assistance .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 Requests for Assistance ............................................................................................................................................ 7

2.2 Information Provided with a Request for Assistance................................................................................... 7

2.3 Acknowledgement and Reply to a Request for Assistance ........................................................................ 8

2.4 Liaison officers ........................................................................................................................................................... 10

2.5 Coordinating International Offers of Assistance .......................................................................................... 10

3. Movement and Removal of Resources across Borders ................................................................................ 11

3.1 Customs Issues ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

3.2 Points of Entry ............................................................................................................................................................ 12

3.3 Manifests ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12

3.4 Immigration ................................................................................................................................................................. 13

3.5 Diplomatic Clearance ............................................................................................................................................... 13

3.6 Wildlife .......................................................................................................................................................................... 13

3.7 Passage through the Territory of a Third Party ........................................................................................... 13

3.8 Transboundary Removal/Management of Waste ....................................................................................... 14

4. Response Operations in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction ................................................................... 14

5. Command and Control ............................................................................................................................................... 14

5.1 General principles ..................................................................................................................................................... 15

5.2 Transfer of Command and Control .................................................................................................................... 15

5.3 Command and Control Liaison Officers ........................................................................................................... 15

5.4 Public Communications .......................................................................................................................................... 16

6. Facilitation of Situational Awareness and A Common Operating Picture ............................................ 16

7. Joint Review of Oil Pollution Incident Response Operations ..................................................................... 16

8. Reimbursement of Costs of Assistance ............................................................................................................... 17

9. Joint Exercises and Training .................................................................................................................................... 17

10. Administrative Provisions ........................................................................................................................................ 18

11. Forms ................................................................................................................................................................................ 20

12. National Organisation ................................................................................................................................................ 23

13. Addendum ....................................................................................................................................................................... 48



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RECORD OF REVISIONS

REVISION NUMBER DATE REVISED ENTERED BY:

1 January 28, 2014 B. Rossi (added Procedures for updating

Operational Guidelines) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35



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1. NOTIFICATION

In accordance with Article 6 of the Agreement, Parties will notify other Parties’ National 24-hour Operational Contact Points (Appendix II of the Agreement). Notification does not constitute an obligation to request or to provide assistance under the Agreement.

The Notification should include, but is not limited to, the following information:

a. name or unique identification title for the incident; b. name of the notifying Party and Competent National Authority taking the lead in

respect of the incident, including 24/7contact information (telephone, fax, mobile, email);

c. date and time of incident awareness in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and the time at which the notifying Party began its tracking of, or involvement in, the incident;

d. date and approximate time of the occurrence as reported by the source of the incident; and

e. data to provide other Parties sufficient information to maintain situational awareness. At minimum, this should include:

Location of incident: latitude and longitude, or if the oil pollution is dynamic, include the area potentially affected.

Identification of major issues or concerns: including Search and Rescue activities, pollution potential and/or salvage/casualty response issues.

Situation assessment: assessment of the overall situation (type and cause of incident, volume released, information on source control, and analysis of the immediate and short term impacts or requirements), response resources available and/or on-scene (vessels, equipment, personnel, volunteers), possible environmental impacts.

Acknowledgement of Notification: to verify receipt of information by other Parties. The acknowledgement should include the date and time of transmission and be sent back to the notifying Party upon completion of internal notifications.

A standard format for Notification should be used to provide uniform means of informing other Parties of the specifics of the incident. A sample Notification template can be found in section 11 (Forms) at the end of these Guidelines.

2. ASSISTANCE

This chapter provides guidance for:

a. Parties seeking assistance from other Parties following an oil pollution incident, in framing requests, and evaluating and responding to offers; and

b. Parties that may wish to offer assistance. Parties may pro-actively offer assistance following an oil pollution incident prior to receiving a request for assistance from a Requesting Party.



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2.1 Requests for Assistance

When a Party determines that assistance is needed to respond to an oil pollution incident, it may request such assistance from another Party or Parties, indicating the type and extent of assistance needed. Parties should follow the guidance in this chapter or other appropriate guidance. All personnel provided by the Assisting Party are subject to the laws of the Requesting Party within its jurisdiction. The Requesting Party should ensure that the Assisting Party’s personnel are made aware of these laws as soon as practicable (e.g., via a briefing or orientation training). Appropriate authorities of the Requesting and Assisting Parties should cooperate closely on all relevant issues. The Requesting Party should provide adequate local facilities and services necessary for administration and management of the Assisting Party’s assets, including decontamination, and ensure the security, and protection of its personnel, vessels, aircraft and equipment as well as their safe return.

2.2 Information Provided with a Request for Assistance

The Requesting Party should:

a. make its requests in a clear and precise manner (quantity, type of assistance requested, etc) by indicating for which purposes vessels, aircraft, equipment, products and response personnel will be used;

b. appoint an authority responsible for customs, immigration, and diplomatic clearance issues related to movement and removal of resources across the border;

c. appoint an authority to receive the vessels, aircraft, equipment, products and response personnel that will be used;

d. provide fuel, waste management and other port or air terminal services for oil pollution response vessels and oil pollution surveillance aircraft;

e. provide accommodation and food for response teams; f. return all unused supplies and equipment and ensure that returned equipment is in

good working condition except for degradation caused by normal wear and tear as part of the pollution incident response; and

g. describe any financial considerations, if applicable. A standard format for an Assistance Request Report should be used by the Requesting Party to provide a standardized means of informing other Parties of the specifics of the incident and the precise operational needs as part of the resource request. A sample Assistance Request Report can be found in section 11 (Forms) at the end of these Guidelines. Parties requesting specific assistance for response operations from other Parties should consider providing the detailed information set forth below in each request with respect to vessels, aircraft, equipment, products and personnel. Requesting Parties should update such detailed requests as operational needs change during the course of the response.



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With respect to Parties requesting specific assistance for response operations, such guidance may, without limitation, include:

a. information on the preliminary responses to offers of assistance, including, if appropriate, descriptions of how the offer of assistance will be further evaluated within the framework of the Requesting Party’s emergency response system and related laws and regulations, and any applicable evaluation process;

b. if appropriate, estimates for the length of time the evaluation of the offer is expected to take; and

c. instructions for providing detailed information about each offer of assistance from another Party.

2.3 Acknowledgement and Reply to a Request for Assistance

The Party in receipt of a request for assistance should provide acknowledgement of receipt to the Requesting Party, and disseminate the information in the request without delay to the appropriate authorities for evaluation and decision. The Party should communicate its reply to the Requesting Party as soon as possible and should provide:

a. a detailed statement and complete list of all vessels, aircraft, equipment, products and personnel it can provide within those listed by the Requesting Party as well as instructions for use of equipment and products, if necessary;

b. equipment that is in good working order and suitable for the needs of the Requesting Party;

c. specialized personnel, if possible outfitted with their own equipment needed for response activities; and

d. estimated costs for use of the vessels, aircraft, equipment and products.

With respect to offers of vessels that can be deployed or utilized in response operations, such detailed information may, without limitation, include the following:

a. Name of the vessel (IMO number) b. Classes of the vessel (e.g. ice, icebreaking, salvage) c. Draught, length, width, maximum speed d. Propulsion power, bollard pull e. Oil recovery tank capacity f. Main oil recovery system and other recovery equipment g. Type and length of oil booms h. Communication equipment i. Fuel requirements and estimated fuel required per day j. Need for fresh water k. Need to discharge grey or waste water l. Need for electricity in berthing m. Mooring requirements n. Number of crew members



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With respect to offers of aircraft that can be deployed or utilized in response operations, such detailed information may, without limitation, include the following:

a. Type of aircraft b. Number of crew members c. Maximum flight time and range d. Patrol speed e. Remote sensing equipment f. Communication equipment g. Flight restrictions due to conditions and possible other matters that will affect

aircraft flights, especially at night h. Deicing systems i. Fuel type and estimated fuel required per mission j. Ground equipment requirements (e.g. Ground Power Unit) k. Crew rest time requirements

With respect to offers of equipment that can be deployed or utilized in response operations, such detailed information may, without limitation, include the following:

a. the exact type and specification of the equipment offered including, to the fullest extent possible, detailed photographs of the equipment, identification of the manufacturer(s), model numbers, specification documents and, if practical, any information regarding the prior operational use of the equipment offered in related oil or hazardous material discharge/release events;

b. the current condition of the equipment and the possibility of degradation of the equipment during operational use;

c. the total amount of each specific type or category of equipment offered; d. weight, dimensions and other physical characteristics of equipment offered; e. when and for how long the equipment would be available; f. whether the equipment is being offered on a reimbursable basis or without charge;

summary of the terms and conditions of the offer if the equipment is being offered on a for-fee basis;

g. where the equipment is currently located; h. whether the Assisting Party will transport the equipment and the terms and

conditions under which transportation is offered including any export or customs restrictions that may apply under the Assisting Party’s national laws;

i. any special logistical problems that may be encountered in transporting or deploying the equipment;

j. any specific conditions and/or limitations regarding use of the equipment; k. the location of the international airport or seaport from which the equipment will

be transported; l. the contact information for authorized personnel who are knowledgeable about the

technical details relevant to the equipment offered and would be available to discuss additional technical or operational details with appropriate personnel provided by the Requesting Party; and

m. estimates of the time required to make the equipment available for transport. The Assisting Party should determine minimum standards of maintenance, security, safety and training to operate equipment sent to the Requesting Party.



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With respect to offers of personnel (i.e. technical, advisory or expert assistance) from a Party, such detailed information may, without limitation, include the following:

a. the credentials and a brief description of the experience for each individual providing assistance, including assurance that they are aware of the weather and working conditions in the Arctic and are equipped with the appropriate cold weather working gear;

b. an assessment of the capability of each individual to speak and read in the official language of the Lead Party engaged in response operations and the availability of effective translation services if a language barrier is expected;

c. each individual's availability, in terms of how quickly the individual can be deployed to response operations, for how long the individual can be deployed, and any requirement for the individual to depart the operational location over the anticipated deployment period;

d. any costs the Requesting Party would be expected to defray (e.g., air fare, lodging, daily remuneration fee);

e. whether the Assisting Party would facilitate direct communications between the individuals offering to provide assistance and technical experts of the Assisting Party to further evaluate the offer;

f. any special requirements of the Assisting Party regarding the status of the individual during any deployment period (i.e. requirement that the individual have the status of Embassy technical staff, etc.);

g. establishing means to ensure the personal safety and security of the Assisting Party’s personnel while assisting in country; and

h. estimated costs for use of such expertise.

2.4 Liaison officers

Each Party facing an oil pollution incident will have a designated Competent National Authority in charge of response efforts and coordination of response operations with other agencies of the government. In the event the incident escalates beyond national capacity, there may be a need to designate one or more liaison officers. Depending on the specifics of the incident, the lead Party may consider employing one or both of the following types of liaisons to assist with interagency coordination:

a. Parties may consider designating personnel to serve as a direct liaison with the Requesting Party for response operations. The liaison officer should work closely with personnel from all agencies engaged in response operations to accurately define and describe the specific types of capabilities that are needed at various stages of the response operations and to determine the categories of response capabilities that may be obtained through international sources. The liaison officer function can facilitate the evaluation of offers of assistance from other Parties in order to ensure that they meet current or projected operational needs; and

b. the Requesting Party may also designate personnel to serve as liaison officers from its Ministry of Foreign or External Affairs to serve as a technical advisor in communications with other Parties.

2.5 Coordinating International Offers of Assistance



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An oil pollution incident that exceeds national capacity may result in many offers of assistance both nationally and internationally and will demand additional external resources to ensure a timely and effective response. Early establishment of a robust coordination mechanism to manage the receipt and processing of such offers is essential to ensure a timely and effective response to the incident. Recommendations for coordinating unsolicited offers of assistance can be found in section 12 (Addendum) at the end of these Guidelines.

3. MOVEMENT AND REMOVAL OF RESOURCES ACROSS BORDERS

All Parties should facilitate the passage of equipment, products and response personnel through their territory for the purpose of assisting in response operations, including expeditious processing or complete waiver of customs and visa requirements.

3.1 Customs Issues

The Requesting Party should determine how it can facilitate the entry of the equipment, products or personnel from an Assisting Party into its own territory. To that end, the Requesting Party should assist in facilitating the arrival of international oil pollution response assistance, including expeditious processing or, as necessary, waivers of customs and visa requirements, as appropriate and consistent with national laws. The Requesting Party should also provide regular information to personnel as regards to entry points, customs and visa requirements, and any other arrangements that would facilitate their arrival. The Requesting Party should ensure that, should ships and aircraft be provided, ships are granted all necessary authorisation and aircraft are cleared to fly in the national air space. A flight plan or a flight notification should be filed and accepted as an authorisation for aircraft to take off and land, ashore or at sea, outside airfields where customs provision may not exist. Many states have laws in place providing restrictions or exemptions of customs duty payable on certain types of goods imported and exported for emergency purposes. It is also common for governments to have emergency provisions in their customs legislation allowing for special arrangements to be put in place for processing of incoming support and assistance. Requesting Parties should evaluate the applicability of such laws, if any, to provide assistance for oil pollution incident response, which may not fall under the same stipulations as disaster response. If the Requesting Party has national laws in place that permit customs exemptions or waivers for oil pollution incident response, the Requesting Party should determine how these exemptions or waivers could be implemented for response equipment, products and personnel arriving from the Assisting Party. Likewise, the responders from the Assisting Party should prepare and have ready detailed manifests of their equipment or property and appropriate documentation for personnel to facilitate expeditious customs processing.



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An ATA Carnet is an international customs and export-import document. It is used to clear customs without paying duties and import taxes on merchandise that will be re-exported within 12 months. Obtaining a Carnet also includes obtaining a surety bond to secure the value of the goods shipped; insurance for the goods; and shippers export declaration. If the Requesting Party accepts the use of Temporary Admission (ATA) Carnets (www.atacarnet.com) for temporary admission of professional equipment, it may be advantageous to investigate whether the issuance of a Carnet is an option.

3.2 Points of Entry

It is recommended that Parties pre-identify points of entry for incoming teams. Entry points can be any type of border crossing (roads, rivers, ports, railroads, airports). Parties may develop a catalogue of these pre-identified entry points, including their capacities.

3.3 Manifests

Applicable laws and customs processes of the Requesting Party should be followed. From the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)/ United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Guidelines for Environmental Emergencies, the following are minimum recommended elements that should be included in a manifest for equipment. Manifests are provided by the Assisting Party.

a. Date – stating the date of the export/import; b. Reason for Import – a short description stating that the equipment is for

emergency relief; c. Shipper/Owner – stating who owns and is responsible for the shipment

during transport. Shipper and owner will in most cases be the same, unless equipment is sent as unaccompanied cargo;

d. Consignee – name and contact details of the person responsible for the consignment once it has reached the country of destination. For equipment brought by relief teams, etc. this will usually be the same as shipper/owner;

e. Terms of Delivery – refers to the international commercial term (incoterm) that applies to the shipment. They are normally used to divide transaction costs and responsibilities between buyer and seller in international commerce and stated on an invoice for customs purposes. For equipment imported by the Assisting Party, it is recommended to use the code “CIF”, which indicates that Cost, Insurance, and Freight are included in the invoiced value;

f. Overview – a table specifying the various items imported with description, quantity, weight/volume, estimated value in internationally well-known currency (e.g., USD) and where possible, serial numbers of the items. Above or below the table, the total quantity, weight, volume and value should be indicated. Any items that are considered hazardous substances should be clearly marked as such. It should also be stated that the items are not being imported for commercial purpose; and

g. Declaration – at the end of the manifest a declaration is normally included stating that the equipment is intended to be used, disposed of, or re-

http://www.atacarnet.com/



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exported. Furthermore, the origin of the equipment is also declared, often referred to in customs-terms as preferential status.

A manifest may be structured as a “pro forma” invoice to further state that the equipment is not intended for commercial purposes.

3.4 Immigration

The Requesting Party should also provide regular information to foreign experts or response teams with regard to entry points, customs and visa requirements, and other arrival arrangements. Typically, immigration regulations regarding authorisation to work require that consent be obtained for all foreign nationals to work within a country. For purposes of immigration and customs and excise rules, special emergency procedures or temporary waivers or other arrangements could be allowed, to the extent permitted under national laws, and invoked in the event of an oil pollution incident in which an Assisting Party’s personnel were needed.

3.5 Diplomatic Clearance

Response ships and aircraft are often owned and used by the Assisting Party and therefore need Diplomatic Permits before conducting spill response operations in the Requesting Party’s territorial waters or air space. In accordance with each Party’s national laws, such Diplomatic Clearance should be provided expeditiously by the Requesting Party.

In areas where distance between the Requesting and Assisting Parties’ resources is short, “Standing Diplomatic Clearance” could be considered in order to save time in a mutual response operation.

3.6 Wildlife

With regard to wildlife response, there are two main areas in which customs and border crossings should be considered:

a. The entrance of invited responders and/or equipment into a country; and b. The transport of oiled wildlife across borders.

In some cases, permits may be needed to transport wildlife to and from a country. When permits are necessary, it should be the responsibility of the Requesting Party to ensure that all permits are secured prior to any wildlife being transported.

Transport of wildlife may need special equipment and knowledge and should always be done in close consultation with experts.

3.7 Passage through the Territory of a Third Party

The Requesting Party should coordinate with the Assisting Party to coordinate the facilitation of passage of any equipment through a third party’s territory.



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3.8 Transboundary Removal/Management of Waste

The transboundary movement of waste generated from the oil pollution incident response should follow all applicable entry requirements of the country into which the waste is being moved. Parties should refer to the Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Guidelines and Strategies for Oily Waste Management in the Arctic Region.

4. RESPONSE OPERATIONS IN AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION

Actions in areas beyond national jurisdiction (i.e. on the high seas) should be undertaken in accordance with national and international law.

When a Party is required to notify other Parties of an oil pollution incident under Article 6 of the Agreement, it should follow the notification guidance provided in Section 1 of these Guidelines. In addition, the Party should also indicate whether or not the polluter intends to respond to, contain, and clean up the oil pollution, to the extent that information is known.

If the polluter is unable to respond to the oil pollution incident or terminates a response operation before the oil pollution is contained or cleaned up, the notifying Party should, as soon as is reasonably possible, convene a meeting of the Competent National Authorities listed in Appendix 1 of the Agreement (by teleconference or other efficient and timely means) to consider, inter alia:

a. Whether one Party is prepared to volunteer to take the lead in responding to the oil pollution incident;

b. If no Party volunteers, whether the pollution incident should be assessed to determine its scope and risk to the marine environment and/or the interests of the Parties. Such an assessment could include:

i. magnitude; ii. spread and trajectory;

iii. movement rate; iv. risks to marine living resources or sensitive ecosystems v. risks to human subsistence users of potentially-affected resources;

vi. responder safety; and vii. other factors deemed important.

c. Whether another meeting or meetings of the Competent National Authorities should be convened at a later time to discuss further action in relation to the oil pollution incident.

If a Party volunteers to take the lead in a high seas response operation, that Party should take the lead in determining the relevant response requirements, including whether to request assistance from another Party or Parties. The lead Party would then execute its command and control system and follow the guidance contained in the remainder of this document.

5. COMMAND AND CONTROL



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Each Party to the Agreement has in place existing command and control systems that are used during oil pollution incidents within the areas under its jurisdiction. There also exist other bilateral and multilateral agreements between Arctic States that establish methodologies for joint response, in which command and control systems have been predefined (see Table 1). Therefore, it is not advisable to create a common general command and control system for the Parties to the Agreement. Parties are also aware that not all Arctic areas delineated in Article 3 of the Agreement are covered by existing bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements. However, the following general principles can be applied.

5.1 General principles

The Requesting Party has operational command and control of all response operations. When assistance is requested, it falls to the Requesting Party to ensure that the vessels, aircraft, equipment, products, personnel and communications systems of the Assisting Party are fully integrated into the Requesting Party’s command and control system. The Assisting Party should recognize and fully integrate its response assets and organisation into the command and control and communications systems of the Requesting Party.

The authorities entitled to act on behalf of Parties to request assistance or to decide to render assistance requested are found in Appendix III of the Agreement.

With respect to oil pollution incidents in areas where no other specific agreement or arrangement applies, a Party whose waters or interests may be threatened may volunteer to respond (Chapter 4 of the Guidelines). In such a case, the command and control structure of the volunteering Party should apply.

5.2 Transfer of Command and Control

Should it become advisable to transfer command and control to another Party, the timing of the shift of the command and control and allocation of resources should be negotiated between the Competent National Authorities in question or other agencies delegated this authority, giving due regard to the overall picture and any possible trends in its development.

5.3 Command and Control Liaison Officers

In addition to the activities identified in Section 2.4, the following also applies. Response operations demand the close cooperation between the Requesting and Assisting Party or Parties to manage and direct response operations by the Parties involved on all levels.

Any Party participating in an oil pollution incident response may request that a representative from one of the other Parties participates as a liaison officer to facilitate the flow of information, communicate opinions and wishes, and to support direct communications between the Parties.

Parties should designate a liaison officer as soon as is practicable. The liaison officer of the Assisting Party should report directly to the Requesting Party, as appropriate.



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The Requesting Party does not need to provide administrative support (i.e. accommodation, meals, etc.) to the Assisting Party’s liaison officer, although it should ensure the officer’s integration into the command and control structure, as indicated in section 5.1.

The liaison officer should be given access to all necessary communication means such as telephone, facsimile, and e-mail to a reasonable extent, if available.

If Parties affected by the same oil pollution incident choose not to exchange liaison officers, they should, as a rule, exchange daily situation reports.

5.4 Public Communications Public communication should be handled by the Requesting Party. During joint operations, the respective public affairs officers should coordinate to the maximum extent possible to ensure information released separately is consistent and accurate.

6. FACILITATION OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND A COMMON OPERATING

PICTURE

Parties should consider, if practical, the establishment of internet-based information portals to:

a. Provide a common operating picture which should be regularly updated and shared with the assisting parties

b. Provide information regarding current or projected operational needs that may be met through offers of assistance;

c. Provide information regarding the level of detail for offers of assistance (equipment, products and personnel) to ensure the most meaningful and efficient review and evaluation;

d. Provide portals for the submission of offers of assistance that simplify the collection of information and streamline communications regarding the receipt and status of offers;

e. Provide information for the media and general public about the full scope of the response effort and to publicly acknowledge, as appropriate, all who are contributing toward the response; and

f. Provide points of contact for additional information.

7. JOINT REVIEW OF OIL POLLUTION INCIDENT RESPONSE OPERATIONS

The objective of a joint oil pollution incident review is to draw experience from the operational parts of a response – from notification to termination – in order to identify and evaluate areas for improvement and to make necessary changes in the Operational Guidelines.

A joint oil pollution incident review should be executed as soon as possible after termination of the operation. The joint review should only deal with operational matters.



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Financial or legal matters should only be considered if they had a direct impact on operations.

The joint review should be undertaken by the Parties that coordinated the response operations.

To facilitate the review, the following structure could be applied, depending on the specific operational objectives:

a. Short review and description of the incident including nature of the incident, nature of the pollutant, total estimated quantity lost, affected area, and conditions of operation

b. Notification c. Request for assistance d. Command and Control e. Liaison f. Tele- and radio communications g. Equipment (effectiveness of equipment and products) h. Logistics i. Aerial/satellite surveillance and monitoring j. Oil drift hind- or forecasting k. Intermediate storage (equipment, supplies, recovered oil, collected items impacted

by oil, etc.) l. Waste management m. Health and safety n. Efficacy of environmental monitoring techniques o. Mass media and other public relations p. Termination of operation q. Other

Findings from the review should be documented and an action list should be determined. In accordance with Article 11 of the Agreement, the results of such joint review should be made publicly available, where appropriate. Recommendations for changes to the Operational Guidelines should be forwarded to the next meeting of the Competent National Authorities where a presentation of the review should be made.

8. REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS OF ASSISTANCE

In accordance with Article 10 of the Agreement, the Parties may wish to consider the potential applicability of national and international laws regarding recovery of costs and damages from responsible Parties when evaluating response operations.

9. JOINT EXERCISES AND TRAINING

Parties to the Agreement will endeavor to carry out joint exercises and training for oil pollution incidents, in accordance with the types of exercises identified in Article 13 of the Agreement. At the discretion of the Party in which Arctic Council Chairmanship resides, a joint Arctic-specific exercise may be conducted in order to promote cooperation and response coordination.



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If a joint exercise is conducted, each participating Party should delegate at least one member of its Competent National Authority or agency delegated this authority to serve on the exercise planning team to support the lead Party in the development, conduct, evaluation, and documentation of the exercise. Prior to each joint exercise, the lead Party should conduct training that addresses the incident management system that will be used in the exercise, best practices in oil pollution management, awareness of local safety and cultural concerns, and other topics of interest. In accordance with Article 13, where appropriate, Parties should include stakeholders in the planning and execution of joint exercises and training.

The Competent National Authorities should consider assessing the scope and frequency of planned Arctic exercises that occur through existing agreements or regulations that may already address one or more objectives of the Agreement. During future meetings of the Parties, consideration should be given to the development of a joint exercise programme – the goal of which would be to optimise resource allocation and maximise the visibility and use of opportunities for engagement in preparedness activities.

To the greatest extent practicable, Parties planning domestic or international exercises may consider notifying other Parties of forthcoming exercises and extending invitations to attend either as an observer or a participant.

Each Party should assess the need for, and level of, participation in relevant exercises of which they have been notified.

Exercises and outcomes should be documented and evaluated, and a list of lessons-learned should be created and shared. Recommendations for changes to the Guidelines should be forwarded to the next meeting of the Competent National Authorities where a presentation on the exercise should be made.

10. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

Procedures for updating the Operational Guidelines to the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic

The Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Working Group is responsible for updating the Operational Guidelines. At every EPPR I meeting, the working group will undertake an annual update of the Operational Guidelines in order to maintain administrative accuracy. This update will be a standing item on every EPPR I agenda.

Any amendments to the Operational Guidelines that do not require approval of other parties (i.e. national information, contact information, etc) should be submitted to the EPPR Chair a minimum of 14 days prior to the EPPR meeting in which the review is scheduled to take place. These amendments do not require further consultation with other working groups nor the approval of Senior Arctic Officials. Updates will also be made on the AC website.

On a bi-annual basis, at EPPR I meetings, the working group will undertake a complete review of the Operational Guidelines, taking into consideration lessons learned from the review of oil pollution incident response operations or exercises, training, lessons learned, experience or other new information. These proposed amendments must be submitted to



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the EPPR Chair a minimum of 60 days prior to the date of the EPPR meeting in which the review is scheduled to take place, in order to allow parties to consult their Competent National Authorities or other relevant bodies.

Proposed amendments to the Operational Guidelines should be submitted to the EPPR Chair through the national Head of Delegation. The party responsible for the proposal may be requested to make a presentation to EPPR to ensure the proposed amendments are well understood. Amendments will be adopted based on consensus.

Following adoption of amendments by EPPR members, the EPPR Chair will circulate the revised version to Permanent Participants, other working groups, and observers of the Arctic Council, and other relevant stakeholders for consultation. This consultation is related only to the amendments agreed by EPPR and is not intended to seek proposals for new amendments. Proposals for amendments will be made by parties to the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. The Chair may also receive proposals for amendments and will submit them to the EPPR working group for consideration. The final document will be submitted to Senior Arctic Officials for approval, and will be posted to the Arctic Council website.

The Agreement states that “in developing and modifying the Operational Guidelines, the parties shall seek input from relevant stakeholders as appropriate”. Stakeholders include Permanent Participants, working groups and observers of the Arctic Council, and parties having taken part in the development of the Agreement. Organizations that have participated in a particular response action may be consulted on an ad hoc basis for the purposes of obtaining the experience and expertise related to that action.

If needed, the Operational Guidelines could be amended at any EPPR meeting as long as the proper procedure is followed for submission of documents.



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11. FORMS

SAMPLE NOTIFICATION / ASSISTANCE REQUEST REPORT

URGENT

NOTIFICATION/ASSISTANCE REQUEST REPORT – INCIDENT NUMBER/ NAME AND LOCATION:_____________________________________

Date/Time: ____________________/____________________ (UTC)

PAGES (INCLUDING COVER PAGE): __________________________

From/Country of Emergency: _______________________________

To (Point of Contact): _____________________________________

Name/Position: __________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Fax/Telephone: __________________________________________

Fax: ___________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________________

INCIDENT SPECIFICS

INCIDENT SPECIFICS: INFORMATION TO DATE:

TYPE OF INCIDENT:

ESTIMATED VOLUME RELEASED/BEING RELEASED:

TYPE OF PRODUCT(S):

LOCATION OF INCIDENT (LAT/LONG):

SOURCE? IS SOURCE CONTROLLED?

SITUATION ASSESSMENT AND COMPLICATING FACTORS :

OTHER:

ASSISTANCE NEEDED? YES NO

ASSET TYPE NEEDED: SPECIFICS OF ASSET NEEDED: DATE/LOCATION NEEDED:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: (Name, Organisation, Country) acknowledges receipt of the above Notification and confirms its dissemination to appropriate domestic authorities (Date, time).



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SAMPLE OFFER COMMUNICATION (FROM ASSISTING PARTY TO REQUESTING PARTY)

INCIDENT NAME, LOCATION: DATE: TIME: (UTC)

ASSISTING PARTY/ORGANISATION: POINT OF CONTACT (NAME, CONTACT INFORMATION):

TYPE OF ASSISTANCE OFFERED (EQUIPMENT, PERSONNEL, TECHNOLOGY, VESSELS, ETC)

CURRENT LOCATION OF RESOURCE

OWNER/MANAGER OF OFFERED RESOURCE (GOVERNMENT AGENCY, PRIVATE ENTITY, ETC)

1. Does equipment require training personnel to accompany/operate? 2. Does release of equipment from current location create compliance problem with

minimum standards of equipment for responses? 3. How should equipment be transported? Will Assisting Party provide transport? 4. Are there specific power supplies, pumps, or other technical needs to operate this

equipment/asset? 5. Other?



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SAMPLE RECEIPT COMMUNICATION (FROM REQUESTING PARTY TO ASSISTING PARTY)

INCIDENT NAME, LOCATION: DATE: TIME: (TIME ZONE)

OFFER RECEIVED BY: DATE: TIME: (TIME ZONE)

PROPOSED DATE OF ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION:

OTHER:



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SAMPLE ACCEPTANCE COMMUNICATION (FROM REQUESTING PARTY TO ASSISTING PARTY)

INCIDENT NAME DATE/TIME OFFER NAME/DESCRIPTOR:

OFFER ENTITY (Government/Organisation)

OFFER: ACCEPTED/DECLINED:

ACCEPTED OFFERS: DATE REQUIRED: LOCATION: TRANSPORTATION SPECIFICS: DECLINED OFFERS: RATIONALE:

12. NATIONAL ORGANISATION



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CANADA

1. NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Canada has a marine pollution preparedness and response system for ships that contains two important components: Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime (regulated by Transport Canada) and the Government of Canada’s operational response capacity, contained within the Canadian Coast Guard. Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime is built upon successful collaboration between government and industry and is based on the principle that polluters are responsible for paying for preparedness and response to damages caused by their pollution. For tanker spills of persistent oil, the Marine Liability Act has a tiered system based on the principles of polluter-pays and shared liability between the shipowner and the cargo owner. The shipowner is always first and foremost strictly liable (with certain defenses) to a limit determined by the tonnage of the ship. The Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (CSA 2001) is the principal statute that governs safety in marine transportation and protects the marine environment. The prevention and control of ship-source pollution is governed by the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, (CSA) and the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act. Under the CSA 2001, all tankers of 150 GT or more and all other vessels of 400 GT or more that carry oil as cargo or as fuel must keep on board an approved shipboard oil pollution emergency plan (SOPEP) to operate in waters under Canadian jurisdiction. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is the lead agency responsible for ship-source and mystery spills. The CCG Marine Spills Contingency Plan defines the scope and framework within which the CCG will operate to ensure an appropriate response to marine pollution incidents. 2. ORGANISATION / ROLES & RESPONSIBILITES

Transport Canada is the lead federal regulatory agency responsible for the Regime. The Department establishes the legislative and regulatory framework for preparedness and response to ship-source oil spills. It is responsible for ensuring the appropriate level of preparedness is available to combat these spills in waters under Canadian jurisdiction. Specific activities include: oil spill preparedness and response regime management and oversight including issue a certificate of designation to response organizations; establishes and maintains the regulatory framework for preparedness and response to ship-source oil spills; overseeing an appropriate level of national preparedness; conducting risk assessments and making adjustments to the Regime, as required; monitoring and preventing marine oil spills through the National Aerial Surveillance Program which includes aerial surveillance in the Arctic; and facilitating the Arctic Regional Advisory Council. Transport Canada is also responsible for the National Place of Refuge Contingency Plan that applies to where a ship is in need of assistance and requests a place of refuge within Canadian waters. Transport Canada is also responsible for establishing a regime to deal with liability and compensation for incidents involving ships, such as oil spills. The Marine Liability Act (MLA) was adopted in 2001 and later amended in 2009 and brings together all marine liability and compensation regimes into one act. This includes Parts 6

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/acts-regulations/acts-2001c26.htm



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and 7 that cover pollution damages from ships. The MLA is a mixture of domestic and international law and implements various international conventions adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that Canada has ratified. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), a special operating agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is the lead federal agency responsible for ensuring an appropriate response to ship-source spills, mystery source spills, pollution incidents that occur at oil handling facilities as a result of loading or unloading oil to or from ships, and spills from any source originating in foreign waters that impact Canadian waters. The Coast Guard fulfils this role by acting as either: 1) the Federal Monitoring Officer, by monitoring the polluter’s response to spills (in this case, the polluter must ensure that damage to Canada’s marine environment is minimized and must respond directly or with the assistance of a certified response organization); or, 2) the On-Scene Commander, by managing the response to spills. If the polluter is unknown or is unwilling or unable to take on all or some response obligations; declines to continue the management of the response; or responds in a matter that, in the opinion of the Coast Guard, is inadequate, the Coast Guard assumes the management of the pollution incident. This can include the Coast Guard taking clean-up measures itself, or directing a vessel or any person to take actions the Coast Guard considers necessary to repair, remedy, minimize, or prevent pollution damage. The Canadian Coast Guard may also act as a resource agency. For example, organizations such as provincial governments and offshore drilling operators may call on the Coast Guard to obtain their advice and/or equipment in the event of an oil pollution incident. The CCG will perform an assessment of a marine pollution incident and conduct initial response operations, where necessary. However, the CCG will put the onus of a response on the polluter who is expected to appoint an On-Scene Commander responsible for: providing the CCG with an acceptable response plan; directing the response accordingly; and deploying response resources. However, the CCG retains the right to intervene and assume the overall management of the spill response, for mystery spills and where the polluter is unwilling or unable to mount an effective response of its own. In Arctic waters, above 60°N, the CCG will still put the onus of a response on the polluter. However, since there is no industry funded response regime in the Arctic, the CCG maintains a response capacity in the Arctic should the polluter be unable or unwilling to respond. Environment Canada is the federal authority for providing scientific and environmental advice during a ship-source oil or chemical spill. The Department can also establish a multi-disciplinary group of scientific experts to identify the environmental protection priorities that should be protected during a spill. This group of experts can involve representatives from the federal, provincial and, territorial governments; industry and other organizations in a region, such as Aboriginal groups. During a marine pollution incident, Environment Canada would support those involved by providing expert environmental advice directly, or through this group of experts, particularly with respect to environmental priorities, resources at risk, and the most appropriate clean-up countermeasures. It would also provide advice on ways to reduce the impact on the environment, modelling of spill trajectories, marine weather warnings and forecasts, and the location of wildlife and sensitive ecosystems.



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Industry: In the event of a spill, a ship owner or oil handling facility operator may clean-up and recover the oil themselves, activate an arrangement with a certified Response Organization, hire a response contractor or relinquish management of the spill to the Canadian Coast Guard. ARCTIC OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) manages oil and gas resources on Crown lands north of 60°N latitude in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and is responsible for allocating permits for drilling activities and certain offshore facilities (e.g. man-made islands). The National Energy Board (NEB) regulates offshore oil and gas operations under the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act, the purpose of which, among other things is to promote safety, protection of the environment and the conservation of oil and gas resources. The NEB evaluates the effectiveness of a company’s spill contingency plans and spill response exercises and is the lead agency for a coordinated response in the event of an oil spill. Under the Act, the NEB can authorize any person to take control of the emergency response if a company is not responding adequately to a spill.

3. GENERAL POLLUTION POLICY

In accordance with Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime, the polluter is expected to respond to incidents, while the Canadian Coast Guard will monitor, and where necessary, augment or assume management of the response when it is in the interest of the public. The Environmental Response Marine Contingency Plan defines the scope and framework within which the Canadian Coast Guard will operate to ensure a response to marine pollution incidents. 4. PREPAREDNESS

Government

The CCG operates a large fleet of ships, hovercraft and helicopters. In addition, a large amount of spill response equipment is strategically located at approximately 80 sites throughout Canada with dedicated, experienced personnel in major centres. The equipment has been selected to be easily transported by road, sea or air, as much of the extensive coastline is relatively inaccessible. Aerial surveillance and remote sensing is provided by the Transport Canada and Environment Canada.

Private

Four certified Response Organizations exist, operating South of 60 degrees North Latitude. The Western Canada Marine Response Corporation and the Eastern Canada Response Corporation (WCMRC & ECRC) both have a response capability for spills based upon a 10,000 tonnes planning standard. The Atlantic Emergency Response Corporation (ALERT) Inc. covering the Bay of Fundy and Point Tupper Marine Services Ltd. in Nova Scotia each have a response capability based on a 2,500 tonnes planning standard and can cascade an additional 7,500 tonnes through mutual aid agreements with ECRC.

5. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS



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PREVENTION & SAFETY International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 as modified

by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL) SPILL RESPONSE International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation,

1990 (OPRC) OPRC-HNS Protocol: Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution

Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000 (not yet ratified) COMPENSATION International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992 (CLC) International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for

Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992, Protocol of 2003 to the International Convention on the Establishment of an

International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage,1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 BILATERAL Canada/US Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Kingdom of

Denmark for Cooperation Relating to the Marine Environment

6. CONTACT POINTS

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT POINT

(For Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response) The Canadian Coast Guard Department of Fisheries and Oceans Director General, Program Requirements 200 Kent Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6 Transport Canada Marine Safety and Security Director General 330 Sparks Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5 (For Offshore Unit and Pipeline-source Pollution) The National Energy Board Business Leader, Operations 444 Seventh Avenue SW Calgary. Alberta T2P 0X8 OPERATIONAL CONTACT POINT (ON DUTY 24 HRS) Government Operations Centre Public Safety Canada



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KINGDOM OF DENMARK


The Kingdom of Denmark consists of Denmark, The Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Faroe Islands and Greenland are located in the Arctic. Both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are under the rule of self-government. Due to different legislation for Greenland and the Faroe Islands, the two areas are described individually.

GREENLAND

2. ORGANISATION

Responsibility for response to pollution at sea from oil and chemicals lies within 3 jurisdictions:

Inside 3 NM: Spills inside the 3 NM zone falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, Nature and Environment (MDANE), which reports directly to the Government of Greenland.

Outside 3 NM: Spills outside the 3 NM zone fall under the jurisdiction of the Danish Government. JOINT ARCTIC COMMAND (JACMD) is appointed by the Danish Government to monitor and combat those spills.

Spills from hydrocarbon related activities: Any spills from mineral and hydrocarbon related exploration and exploitation at sea falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (BMP), regardless whether the spill is within or outside 3 NM the Greenland coast. The BMP reports directly to the government of Greenland through the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources. The Danish Centre for Environment and Energy ((DCE) formerly known as the Danish National Environmental Research Institute/NERI) acts as environmental adviser to the BMP.

In the event of an oil spill outside 3 NM, Joint Arctic Command is authorized to liaise with bilateral and multilateral partners in accordance with the Copenhagen and CANDEN agreements.

In the event of an escalating or large spill incident related to a hydrocarbon license holder’s operations, the BMP’s Contingency Committee (BMPCC) and an Emergency Response Group (ERG) would convene comprising the BMP, Joint Arctic Command, the DCE, police and fire department representatives, local authorities, health authorities and a media representative. The Greenland government would be responsible for liaising with the Canadian and Danish governments to notify them of an incident and co-operate in an escalated pollution response strategy.

Within 3 NM, the jurisdiction falls within the MDANE. In practice, MDANE delegates this task to local municipalities’ Fire and Rescue services.



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Offshore containment and recovery is the preferred strategy irrespective of whether the pollution is inside or outside 3 NM or whether it originates from mineral and hydrocarbon-related exploration or not.

Within the BMP’s jurisdiction, dispersant and in-situ burning application are considered to be a secondary strategy and prior permission must be sought from the BMP. Dasic Slickgone NS is approved as a dispersant for application in Greenland by the BMP. Approval of any other dispersant must be sought on a case-by-case basis. Dispersant use or in-situ burning will be approved by the BMP following a net environmental benefit analysis (NEBA).

4. PREPAREDNESS

Joint Arctic Command has the authority to require relevant equipment and personnel from the Danish contingency equipment for combating oil spills.

The national oil spill response company Greenland Oil Spill Response A/S (GOSR) holds a stockpile of response equipment. This equipment is situated in Kangerlussuaq, unless relocated for operational reasons. At the following locations in Greenland, boom(s) and a skimmer are stationed at the local municipalities’ Fire and Rescue services along the coastline: Qeqertarsuaq, Ilulissat, Qasigiannguit, Aasiaat, Sisimiut, Maniitsoq, Nuuk, Paamiut, Narsaq, Qaqortoq, Nanortalik and Tasiilaq.


Greenland is party to:

CANDEN Agreement (1983) aims at developing bilateral cooperation for protecting the marine environment of the waters lying between Canada and Greenland, particularly with respect to preparedness measures as a contingency against pollution incidents resulting from offshore hydrocarbon exploration or shipping activities.

The 1971 Copenhagen Agreement (revised in 1993) between Denmark (including Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden which addresses marine pollution.

The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of North-East Atlantic (OSPAR 1992) between Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom is the current legal instrument guiding international cooperation on the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.

6. CONTACT POINTS

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT POINTS mirror the division of responsibilities.

The Ministry of Domestic Affairs, Nature and Environment is the administrative contact point regarding pollution inside the 3NM zone.

Ministry of Domestic Affairs, Nature and Environment



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PO Box 1614 3900 Nuuk Greenland The Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum is the administrative contact point for matters related to hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation.

Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum Imaneq 1A-201 3900 NuukGreenland Joint Arctic Command is responsible for pollution outside the 3NM zone. To contact the Joint Arctic Command, please use the contact details of the Operational contact point listed below.

Emergency number

Use the contact details of the Operational contact point listed below.

OPERATIONAL CONTACT POINT (ON DUTY 24 HRS)

Joint Arctic Command (JACMD) MRCC GREENLAND Aalisartut Aqquttaat 47 PO Box 1072, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland

FAROE ISLANDS

1. ORGANISATION

Faroese law regulates the maritime sector of the Faroe Islands. The principal legislation is the Faroese Act on Safety at Sea. The Faroese Act on Protection of the Marine Environment aims to prevent and reduce pollution, including oil pollution, of the marine environment from ships, aircraft and floating and fixed platforms. Hydrocarbon and mineral resources and resource activities in the Faroese subsoil are also regulated domestically by the Faroe Islands. The principal statute intended to prevent oil spills relating to hydrocarbon activities, is the Faroese Act on Hydrocarbon Activities which regulates prospecting, exploration and exploitation of mineral resources on the continental shelf of the Faroe Islands.

The Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in the Faroe Islands (MRCC/Tórshavnradio) is the government agency under the Ministry of Fisheries which acts as the point of contact for notification regarding oil spills and pollution in the Faroese area and facilitates communication with the Faroese Office of Public Works (Landsverk) under the Ministry of the Interior which is responsible for the clean-up work. The Faroe Islands’ responsibilities regarding oil spill and pollution preparedness covers an area out to 200 nautical miles from the Faroese coastline.

The Faroese Act on Preparedness organizes the Faroese contingency according to the principle of sector responsibility. In this context, the Faroese Office of Public Works draws a national contingency plan for oil spill and pollution. The Faroese Office of Public Works



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develops this contingency plan in close cooperation with the Faroese municipalities. The intention is that the Faroe Islands have a national contingency plan for oil pollution, and that the largest of the 30 municipalities in the Faroes have a local contingency plan for oil spills on land and from the land out on the lake. The Faroese authorities and municipalities are in possession of some oil spill response equipment. The objective in the short term is to acquire more equipment and have it placed in depots around the Faroe Islands.

In the event of a major oil spill, the Faroese government, in this context, the Faroese Office of Public Works - may call upon aid via the Copenhagen Agreement regarding marine pollution.


The Faroese authorities have a goal to ensure that all development of the Faroese society, the international community and the exploitation of natural resources be sustainable.

The Faroe Islands strive to maintain a clean and abundant sea and to prevent pollution of the sea. Pollution of the sea can move across national borders and therefore international cooperation on oil pollution is a necessity.

The primary objective is to contain and recover the oil as close to the source as possible. Chemical dispersion is considered to be supplementary to physical removal. To this end, authorities, municipalities and every relevant private organizations required to have an oil spill contingency plan should consider dispersant use as a strategy. The Faroese Environment Agency (Umhvørvisstovan) is the competent authority for dispersant approval and regulations.

3. PREPAREDNESS

Employees of MRCC/Tórshavnradio and the Faroese Office of Public Works are on 24/7 emergency call. According to the contingency plan developed by the Faroese Office of Public Works, it is important to incorporate into the plan any cooperation agreements the Faroese authorities must make with foreign response actors relating to oil spill response.

The Faroese Act on Hydrocarbon Activities determines that oil companies that undertake oil drilling in the Faroese subsoil must develop contingency plans for their businesses that include oil spill response equipment.


The Faroe Islands is a party to and/or has adopted:

The 1971 Copenhagen Agreement relating to marine pollution (revised in 1993 and implemented in the Faroes in 1998) between Denmark (including Faroe Islands and Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS). MARPOL 73/78, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships,

1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto. OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East

Atlantic.



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International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-Operation, 1990 (OPRC).

Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matter, 1972.

5. CONTACT POINTS


The Faroese Office of Public Works (Landsverk) Tinghusvegur 5 P.O. Box 78 110 Torshavn The Faroe Islands Emergency number - use the contact details of the operational contact point listed below.


MRCC Tórshavnradio



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FINLAND


The Ministry of Environment has the supreme responsibility for the management and supervision of the response against pollution caused by oil and other harmful substances. Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) is the competent governmental pollution response authority in Finland. It is in charge of measures against pollution incidents at open sea and whenever severity of an incident so necessitates. SYKE is also the nationally appointed competent authority that is empowered to request and give international assistance in response to marine pollution caused by oil or other harmful substances. Other authorities are obliged to assist in oil and chemical spill response within their abilities. Each of the 22 Rescue Service Regions takes care of oil pollution preparedness and response in their own area and assist in responding chemical spills. The owners of different kind of facilities handling big amounts of oil have to have a limited oil response ability of their own.

2. ORGANISATION

a. The Finnish Environment Institute Response Commander (RC), nominated by SYKE and under him an On-Scene Commander (OSC), lead the response activities at open sea and also in other areas if the spill is of such magnitude that within reasonable limits the local authorities are not able to cope with it.

b. Each Rescue Service Region has the responsibility to arrange the response to oil spills in its sea and land area and has to have a contingency plan.

c. Different organisations are liable to assist the Finnish Environment Institute and other above mentioned oil pollution response authorities upon a request. These organisations include Governmental authorities like the Border Guard of Finland and Finnish Defense Forces (especially the Navy). Private companies are also liable to assist with resources at their disposal. There is a special regional contingency plan made for each of the three coastal areas and for one inland watercourse.


Due to the sensitive ecology of the Baltic Sea, it has been internationally agreed in Helsinki Convention that the oil spill response policy of Baltic Sea countries is based on the mechanical recovery of oil. Dispersants are not used in Finland. The Contracting Parties of Helsinki Convention shall individually and jointly maintain adequate ability and to respond to pollution incidents. Each Party shall, when a pollution incident occurs in its response region, make the necessary assessments of the situation and take adequate response action. When a spill is drifting into a response region of another Contracting Party, that Party shall without delay be informed of the situation and the actions that have been taken. A Contracting Party is entitled to call for assistance by other Contracting Parties when responding to a pollution incident at sea and Contracting Parties shall use their best efforts to bring such assistance.

4. PREPAREDNESS



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Finland’s preparedness is according to the Helsinki Convention. It is defined in HELCOM Recommendation 31/1 (4 March 2010) DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL ABILITY TO RESPOND TO SPILLAGES OF OIL AND OTHER HARMFUL SUBSTANCES. It recommends among other things:

a) “to deal with spillages of oil and other harmful substances at sea so as to enable them: i. to keep a readiness permitting the first response unit to start from its base

within two hours after having been alerted; ii. to reach within six hours from start any place of a spillage that may occur in the

response region of the respective country; iii. to ensure well organized adequate and substantial response actions on the site

of the spill as soon as possible, normally within a time not exceeding 12 hours. b) to respond to major oil spillages:

i. within a period of time normally not exceeding two days of combating the pollution with mechanical pick-up devices at sea; if dispersants are used it should be applied in accordance with HELCOM Recommendation 22/2, taking into account a time limit for efficient use of dispersants;

ii. to make available sufficient and suitable storage capacity for disposal of recovered or lightered oil within 24 hours after having received precise information on the outflow quantity.”

When an oil spill is observed at open sea, the report shall be given to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC TURKU in the Archipelago Sea area) or to Maritime Rescue Sub-centre (MRSC Helsinki in the Gulf of Finland area). After a report has been received, the Coast Guard District will, as expeditiously as possible, estimate the type and size of the oil spill and inform SYKE and possibly the local authorities. Local and governmental oil pollution response authorities and assisting authorities (even by their own initiative) are liable by the law and by applying relevant contingency plans to start all reasonable countermeasures against oil pollution. The first measures and later more expertise demanding tasks like big-scale oil recovery and removal of oil from a casualty and even long-term oil spill response activities at sea and on beaches will be undertaken by combined resources representing various authorities. These actions will be initiated, supported and controlled by SYKE and commanded by the RC. The RC and under him an OSC will collect available manpower and equipment, arrange logistics, decide which measures shall be used for the response, etc. SYKE decides if request for assistance will be made to the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention.


Conventions:

Prevention & Safety Spill Response

Compensation

MARPOL Annexes

73/78 III IV V VI

OPRC

'90

OPRC-HNS

CLC

'69 '76 '92

Fund ‘92

Supp Fund

HNS* Bunker



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Regional and bilateral agreements:

The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention)

The agreement on mutual assistance between Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland (Copenhagen Agreement). Under the terms of this convention, the Nordic countries will take joint action in the event of accidental spill in the marine environ-ment.

The Finnish-Soviet cooperation agreement for the recovery of oil and other hazardous chemicals in accidents affecting the Baltic Sea area. Finland and Russia have agreed bilaterally to honour this agreement in practice for the present.

The Finnish-Estonian agreement on the cooperation in combating against pollution incidents at sea.

Bilateral agreements and the Copenhagen Agreement are consistent with and complementary to the Helsinki Convention. They are forums to handle matters of regional importance in responding to maritime pollution incidents.

6. CONTACT POINTS


National Contact Point - Inquiries (office hours) Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Duty officer P.O. Box 140 FIN-00251 HELSINKI


Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC TURKU) MRCC/Operations Center of the Guard P.O. Box 16 FIN-20101 TURKU

ICELAND


Icelandic Law no. 33/2004 provides for protection of the ocean and the coasts of Iceland from pollution and actions that can endanger human health, harm natural resources and affect its ecosystems, that can damage its environment or prevent legitimate utilization of Icelandic waters.



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In case of oil pollution, the Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources has ultimate responsibility. The Environment Agency of Iceland is responsible for enforcing the law no. 33/2004. It is responsible for monitoring the ocean for pollution, issue instructions and educational guidelines. The Icelandic Coast Guard is responsible for monitoring the waters around Iceland, both from the air as well as from ships. The Icelandic Maritime Administration is responsible for monitoring ship traffic as well as inspections of oil pollution equipment onboard ships in Icelandic waters.

The national response organisation involves the offices of the Environment Agency, Coast Guard and Maritime Administration in accordance with the National Contingency Plan. All of Iceland and its waters to the edge of the EEZ are organized centrally. Only harbor areas are under the control of Harbor Masters.

2. ORGANISATION

The Environment Agency of Iceland has primary coordinating responsibility for oil spill response for coastal zones and the open waters of Iceland covering the whole of the EEZ.


Those responsible for the discharge or release are required to immediately notify the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) 24-hour Hotline located at their headquarters in Reykjavik. The ICG notifies the Environmental Agency of Iceland (EAI). The EAI activates their in-house response system and appoints an On-Scene Coordinator who will notify any other parties involved in the response system. The On-Scene Coordinator uses the ICS system to manage the incident.

4. PREPAREDNESS

The EAI uses contractors specialized and trained in response operations and has stockpiles of equipment and materials on hand. The ICG also has equipment onboard Coast Guard vessels capable of operating in high seas. The ICG also has capabilities to transport response equipment around the island and out to vessels at sea.

Industry is encouraged to come up with its own clean-up plans and do the clean-up in-house, but all clean-up plans have to be accepted by the EAI prior to start of operation. The EAI can deny the plan of the polluter and activate its own contractors.


Copenhagen Agreement (Nordic Countries), MARPOL 73/78, OPRC 90, Fund 92 6. CONTACT POINTS


Environment Agency of Iceland Division of Environmental Quality Sudurlandsbraut 26, 108 Reykjavik, Iceland



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Emergency number

Maritime Alert Center / Icelandic Coast Guard


Icelandic Coast Guard

Map location Stockpiles EIA stockpiles are located in Reykjavik, Iceland.

NORWAY

1. NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY / ORGANISATION

The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) is the government agency responsible for safeguarding the coastline, including ensuring preparedness in cases of acute pollution. The NCA is headed by a Director General, who reports directly to the Department of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs and the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries. The NCA’s Department for Emergency Response which is a part of NCA’s HQ is located in Horten. An Emergency Response Centre which reports to the department of Emergency Response has the operational responsibility for the Governmental response. NCA have 16 manned depots around the coastline in addition to OSR equipment onboard several NCA and Coast Guard vessels.

Under the Pollution Control Act, the national contingency system is divided into private, municipal and governmental contingency areas with specific responsibilities. All contingency plans and organizations are standardized and coordinated so that in the event of a major national emergency, the national contingency system will work as a single integrated response organization.

In Norway, the 430 municipalities are divided into 32 intermunicipal preparedness areas, each with their own approved contingency plan. Local authorities are responsible for dealing with minor acute spills that occur within the municipality due to normal activity, and which are not covered by the polluter’s private contingency arrangements.

The NCA provides for major incidents not covered by, or beyond the capabilities, of the municipal and private contingency plans by providing equipment, material, vessels and personnel, including expert advisers. There is an obligation on all parties required to have a contingency plan to provide assistance to other parties should the need arise. In the event of a major spill, government may call upon industry to aid their response. In such cases, equipment may be used from a number of industry stockpiles including the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies (NOFO).




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The primary objective is to contain and recover the oil as close to the source as possible. Chemical dispersion is considered to be supplementary to physical removal. To this end, every private organization required to have an oil spill contingency plan should consider dispersant use as a strategy. The Climate and Pollution Agency (Klif), under the Ministry of Environment, is the competent authority for dispersant approval and regulations. NCA authorizes dispersant use in spill response situations where dispersants would be beneficial but have not been laid out in a contingency plan as part of requirements from Klif. Applications for the use of dispersants should be based on a Net Environment Benefit Analysis (NEBA). To date the governmental preparedness has not implemented the use of dispersants in their contingency plans.

Disposal of oily waste in local domestic waste sites is dependent upon local authority regulations, but these never allow greater than 3% oil content. If these criteria are not met, the waste may be dealt with through a nationally coordinated waste disposal scheme.

4. PREPAREDNESS

24/7 Duty team which can be transformed to the Governmental response organization which is organized according to the ICS system. Several NCA and coast guard vessels are equipped with OSR equipment ready for response. The duty officer in the HQ will have the responsibility for international cooperation.


Norway is a Party to: CLC 92, Fund 92, Suppl Fund 03 ,Bunker conv, OPRC/90, OPRC/HNS and MARPOL 73/78 annex III-IV-VI.

Besides the arrangements within the European Union, Norway is a party to the Copenhagen Agreement and the Bonn Agreement. Norway has, in addition a bilateral plan with UK (the Norbrit-plan) a bilateral agreement with Russia in the Barents Sea.

6. CONTACT POINTS


Norwegian Coastal Administration HQ Department for Emergency Response


Duty officer

Map location stockpiles north of the Arctic Circle in Norway



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RUSSIAN FEDERATION


In the Russian Federation, within a framework of unified state systems of prevention and elimination of emergency situations in Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation (Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport) is created a functional subsystem of organisation of works on prevention and combating of marine oil pollution from vessels and objects independently of their departmental and national belonging.

2. ORGANISATION

In the planning of responsibility on marine oil pollution, a 3-level approach is adopted:



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a) The first level is objective. Each potentially dangerous object has necessary amount of

its own or outsourced forces and resources for oil pollution combating accepted as maximum possible according to oil pollution risk assessment.

b) The second level is when oil pollution exceeds possibilities of objective level and for its localization and liquidation are involved resources of regional (basin) level and if it is necessary international resources.

c) The third level is when oil pollution exceeds possibilities of regional level and it is necessary to involve resources of federal level and/or international resources.

Existing in the Russian Federation system of marine oil pollution combating planning envisages availability of:

Federal plan; Regional (basin) plans; Port plans (for administrations of marine ports in which operations with oil are

implemented); Object plans of marine oil industry organisations which implement exploration and

extraction of hydrocarbons at sea, storage, transportation and trans-shipment of oil (categories of emergency situations of local value - up to 500 tons, regional value - 500-5000 tons and federal value - more than 5000 tons).

Authorities of everyday control of functional subsystem are:

Federal - State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage and Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (SMPCSA) which implements control through State Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre;

Regional - Marine Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCC), Marine Rescue Sub-Centers (MRSC) and dispatch services of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Baltic Salvage and Towage Company” and its branches;

Objective – duty-dispatch services of marine transport organizations, marine ports, branches of Federal state unitary enterprise "Rosmorport", shipping companies and other organizations independently of their departmental and national belonging which implement oilfields exploration, oil extraction, and also oil recycling, transportation and storage on marine water areas.

In the Russian sector of Arctic at present time act MRCC Murmansk, MRCC Dikson, MRSC Archangelsk, MRSC Tiksi and MRSC Pevek. Because navigation in the region of MRSC Tiksi and MRSC Pevek is seasonal these MRSC function only in the navigation period.


In Russia, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport are the Competent National Authorities which are responsible for preparedness and response for oil pollution incidents. The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation is entitled to request assistance or to decide to render the assistance requested.



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The Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport is assigned responsibility for conducting work on prevention and combating marine oil pollution from vessels and objects independently of their departmental and national belonging. The Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport performs the functions of emergency rescue, including matters of marine oil pollution prevention and response, and is assigned the administration of state marine pollution control, salvage and rescue within the Russian Federation.

4. PREPAREDNESS

Basis of forces and resources of permanent readiness of functional subsystem constitutes from marine professional emergency rescue formations of Baltic Salvage and Towage Company and its branches intended for oil pollution localization and liquidation, MRCC and MRSC and also emergency rescue formations of organizations which operated with oil at sea. Emergency rescue ensuring in the regions of Arctic in the area of responsibility of the Russian Federation is implemented by:

In the western sector of Arctic by forces and resources of Northern and Arkhangelsky branches of Baltic Salvage and Towage Company;

In the eastern sector of Arctic by forces and resources of Sakhalin branch of Baltic Salvage and Towage Company.

Basis of resources on oil pollution response in maritime ports generally constitutes from forces and resources of Baltic Salvage and Towage Company, its branches and ecological organizations which are used on contractual basis. At the present time, work on establishing points of oil pollution equipment storage is carried out in ports in Tiksi, Dikson, Pevek and in Provideniya Bay. For the implementation of the state task on rendering assistance to people and vessels in distress at sea and for oil pollution combating, there is organized emergency rescue preparedness duty on marine basins in search and rescue regions of the Russian Federation. For carrying out the duty of preparedness in the regions of the Arctic which are not covered by existing forces and resources, icebreakers are used to implement their tasks in Arctic, for this purpose icebreakers are equipped with oil pollution combating equipment, and professional rescuers are employed. Oil industry objects which are acting on sea water areas are equipped generally by sufficient amount of modern oil recovery equipment for oil pollution of local or regional value combating. At large volume of pollution, at tanker accidents in sea and oil pollution, connected with them, are used Federal or regional (basin) plans on oil pollution prevention and combating, which are based on specialized vessels, marine response teams (MRT) and oil pollution combating equipment of Baltic Salvage and Towage Company and its branches. Organisation of cooperation with rescue services of neighboring states on matters of oil



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pollution prevention and combating is implemented according to multilateral and bilateral international agreements on oil pollution combating cooperation with these states. In Russia Federal and basin plans of oil pollution prevention and combating envisage involvement of oil pollution combating forces and resources from foreign states according to multilateral and bilateral international agreements on marine oil pollution combating cooperation.


Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and Government of the

Kingdom of Norway concerning Cooperation on the Combatment of Oil Pollution in the Barents Sea from April 28, 1994.

Joint Norwegian-Russian Contingency Plan for the Combatment of Oil Pollution in the Barents Sea (2002).

Agreement between the Government of the USA and the Government of USSR concerning Cooperation in Combating Pollution in the Bering and Chukchi Seas in emergency situations, May 11, 1989.

Joint Contingency Plan of the USA and the Russian Federation on Combating Pollution in the Bering and Chukchi Seas in Emergency (2001/2011).

Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Finland and the Government of the USSR on Co-operation in Combating Pollution of the Baltic Sea in accidents involving oil and other harmful substances, 1989.

Joint Russian-Finnish Contingency Plan for Combating Pollution of the Baltic Sea, 2003. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. International Convention' relating to intervention on the high seas in cases of oil

pollution casualties 1969. International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) 1992. International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for

Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (FUND) 1992. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973/1978, as

amended, (MARPOL). International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation,

1990 (OPRC Convention). International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, (Bunker

Convention) 2001. 6. CONTACT POINTS


Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation 109012, Moscow, Rozhdestvenka str. 1, building 1

Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport 125993, Moscow, Petrovka str., 3/6 Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM of Russia)



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103012, Moscow, Theatralny proezd 3

Emergency number

State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage and Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (MPCSA)


State Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (SMRCC) of the State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage and Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (MPCSA)

National Emergency Management Center of the EMERCOM of Russia 121357, 1-Vatutina Str., Moscow

Map location stockpiles



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SWEDEN


The Swedish Act on Protection against Accidents forms the legal basis for all response to incidents. The Swedish Coast Guard is responsible for all response to oil pollution incidents at sea, including EEZ, and is also entitled to act in within the applicable international agreements for mutual co-operation. Municipalities have the responsibility for beaches and, in principle, for inland waters. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency supports the municipalities with R&D, training and additional response equipment stored in regional stockpiles.

2. ORGANISATION

The Swedish Coast Guard is organized in a headquarters in Karlskrona and two regional Commands, one in Gothenburg and the other in Stockholm. Below this there are some twenty Coast Guards Stations, and amongs those, one for aerial surveillance. 3. GENERAL POLLUTION POLICY

The Swedish response to oil pollution focuses on the use of mechanical equipment . Dispersant or sinking agents are not used. Aerial surveillance including use of satellites are essential tools for early discovery and response at sea. International co-operation is applied whenever found beneficial, especially with Denmark, Finland and Norway. 4. PREPAREDNESS

There are 24/7 Command Centers, and always ships at sea performing many duties but ready to start an oil spill response operation and international co-operation.


Sweden is Party to :

CLC 92, Fund 92, Suppl Fund 03, OPRC/90, OPRC/HNS, MARPOL 73/78 annex I-VI Besides the arrangements within the European Union, Sweden is Party to the Copenhagen Agreement, the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM) and the Bonn Agreement. 6. CONTACT POINTS




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Swedish Coast Guard HQ Stumholmen, box 536, 371 23 Karlskrona,


Officer on duty

Map location Stockpiles

Major stockpiles in Gothenburg, Karlskrona, Stockholm and Härnösand. No map available

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


The National Response Framework and its specific spill response National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) provide for a coordinated response to discharges of oil and releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants. The Framework provides for a national response organisation that may be activated in response actions. Responsibilities among the federal, state, and local governments are specified along with descriptions of resources that are available for response.

The National Response Framework requires an incident command system that specifies responsibilities of state agencies and municipalities; federal agencies; operators of facilities; and private parties whose land or property may be affected. Pre-designated On-Scene Coordinators are organized by region into a three tiered response capability: Level I for minor incidents generally managed with local resources and a small response staff; Level II for medium-sized incidents requiring activation of area resources and a potential for moderate impacts; and Level III for catastrophic incidents which require a state-wide response team. Regional and Area Plans contain detailed, localized information on the potentially hazardous facility, nearby environmentally sensitive areas, emergency response equipment and personnel, and information regarding local emergency response capability. At the local level, committees develop local emergency plans and procedures.

Federal and state laws require industry to prepare response contingency plans which are approved prior to operations. Those responsible for the discharge or release are responsible for containment and cleanup and contaminated debris disposal, including associated costs of restoration and damages. Industry has organized cooperatives for oil and chemical emergencies, pooling response equipment, expertise and resources.



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2. ORGANISATION

The US Coast Guard has primary coordinating responsibility for oil spill response for the coastal zone. The US Environmental Protection Agency has primary responsibility for all inland areas. The U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement regulates offshore energy production and is responsible for oil spill planning and preparedness for fixed and floating facilities engaged in exploration, development, and production activities in state and Federal offshore waters. The US Department of Transportation Office of Pipeline Safety and, in Alaska, the Bureau of Land Management are the key federal agencies working with the intergovernmental Joint Pipeline Office (JPO) providing comprehensive oversight of oil and gas pipelines in Alaska, most notably, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response is lead state agency. 3. GENERAL POLLUTION POLICY

Those responsible for the discharge or release are required to immediately notify the US National Response Center (NRC), located at US Coast Guard Headquarters of a spill. The US Government notifies the State of Alaska, Trustees of natural resources, and any country that may be impacted by the release. These notifications are usually accomplished by the On-Scene Coordinator, who will also notify any other parties involved in the response system, through a comprehensive network of state and local emergency operations centers. Information is also communicated throughout the response. Pollution/incident reports are drafted regularly and are transmitted to interested parties. Notification procedures and communication methods used are identified in regional area contingency plans and industry facility-response contingency plans. 4. PREPAREDNESS

Industry is required to have response equipment on scene, with the quantity and type based on the operation and facility. Should additional equipment be needed in an incident, a tiered response is activated according to the regional or area contingency plan and the facility's response plan, allowing access to equipment and resources maintained by local government, other non-government organisations, state agencies, and Federal government. Equipment lists are maintained in regional and area plans as well as facility response contingency plans.

Industry has formed cooperatives to pool resources, capabilities, and personnel. Alaska Clean Seas, Cook Inlet Spill Prevention and Response (CISPRI) Alaska Chadux Corporation are industry response cooperatives which maintain response organisations. Alyeska, as operator of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, has equipment staged along the pipeline with significant response resources located in Valdez. CHEMTREC, a national industry funded cooperative, provides technical assistance for chemical emergencies. In some cases, offshore operators on the Outer Continental Shelf own and operate their own response vessels, barges, and well capping equipment.

Specialized assets exist for response. These assets include the National Strike Force which is made up of three rapid response teams of trained personnel and specialized equipment for responding to oil or hazardous materials incidents. The teams are trained to provide



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technical assistance, equipment, and other resources to augment local response efforts. Navy salvage teams, scientific support teams, public affairs teams, and animal rescue organisations are specialized assets that are also available to assist local response efforts. A National Strike Force Coordination Center assists coordinating the use of these assets and in locating other spill response resources for both response and planning.


US/Russian Federation Joint Contingency Plan Against Pollution in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, US/Canada Joint Contingency Plan, MARPOL 73/78, OPRC 90, OPRC/HNS 2000 (not ratified), Intervention Convention 69/73, Salvage Convention 89, Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency

6. CONTACT POINTS


United States Coast Guard Assistant Commandant, Response Policy (CG-5R) 2100 2nd St. SW, Stop 7363 Washington, D.C. 20593-7363

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Chief, Oil Spill Response Division 381 Elden Street, HE 3327

Emergency number

National Command Center


National Response Center (NRC)



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13. ADDENDUM (REFERENCE SECTION 2.5 OF THE OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES)

Recommendations for Coordination Mechanism for International Offers of Assistance

Parties facing a major oil pollution incident may consider establishing one or more working groups responsible for coordinating the intake, review, assessment, and potential acceptance of offers of assistance from governments and international organisations. Such working groups may, among other potential responsibilities: a. communicate and share information through the most efficient means; and b. assist in defining specific components of offers of assistance and matching those offers

with operational needs as defined by the agencies directly engaged in response operations.

The following are some recommended steps to follow in order to adequately process an offer of assistance, upon receipt. These steps are not prescriptive, nor are they exhaustive. Each response situation is unique and those involved need to be flexible to adapt these to their unique circumstances as appropriate. Document receipt of the offer: Once the Requesting Party has submitted a NOTIFICATION or REQUEST REPORT, and offers of assistance start to arrive, the previously established Liaison Officers, as well as the operational technical experts from the National Competent Authority, and the Interagency group (if formed) should document receipt of the offer, ensuring that the following information is captured at a minimum: a. Date and time of receipt of offer; b. Method by which offer was transmitted; c. Who submitted the offer, and; d. Specific details of what was offered (as much as have been provided). An internal spreadsheet, database, offer log, or some other electronic means to track offers which have been received by the Requesting Party should be established, and the agency responsible for tracking and responding to received offers should be determined and agreed upon within that Party. Responses to Offering States: As described below, a timeline should be established for all steps involved with managing international offers, one of the first of which should be an initial communication to the Offering State that its offer has been received and is under review. This initial receipt communication should also provide a time estimate of when an acceptance/decline communication will be sent. An example of a RECEIPT COMMUNICATION can be found in the Operational Guidelines. During prolonged and complex responses, it is possible for International Offers of Assistance to be provided over weeks of time. In such cases, those charged with receipt



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and evaluation of those offers as well as for acceptance, should establish a frequency of evaluation as well as a timeline for providing a response to the Offering State. Technical Input: Ensuring that evaluation teams include a technical expert who is closely involved in the response and is intimately aware of specific response needs such as the type and kind of skimmer, boom, or other equipment is critical to the success of utilizing offers of assistance. One of the primary objectives of a successful International Offers of Assistance program is to ensure that the offers aid and support the response, with only those tools needed, and not bog down the response with unnecessary, unwanted or outdated equipment. Acceptance Decision: Once the evaluation team has made a determination whether to accept or decline the offer, this decision should be documented appropriately. A range of specific information should be included in the Acceptance Decision documentation, including rationale and/or criteria for accepting or declining an offer. For example:

o OFFER STATUS: ACCEPTED / DECLINED o RATIONALE: OFFER WAS FOR AN EQUIPMENT TYPE NOT

NEEDED FOR THE OPERATIONS OF THIS RESPONSE.

It is critical to the successful management of an International Offers of Assistance program to ensure that all parties involved have realistic expectations about how offers will be solicited, managed, processed, and responded to, as well as to have reasonable timeline estimates for each of these key steps. Consistent and thorough documentation of each step in the management and processing of offers is also critical. Parties may refer to the International Maritime Organization for further guidance.

agreement on cooperation on marine oil pollution preparedness

Documents